Toilet bowl device

ABSTRACT

A toilet bowl device includes a toilet bowl main body, a toilet bowl washing tank disposed on an upper surface of the toilet bowl main body, and a tank cover covering the toilet bowl washing tank. A tank volume of the toilet bowl washing tank is 3 L or more. A relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied when a horizontal distance from a foremost end of the tank cover to a rearmost end of the tank cover is Da and a horizontal distance from a foremost end of the tank cover to the rearmost end of the tank cover is Db.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Japanese Application No. 2018-087829, filed Apr. 27, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toilet bowl device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A toilet bowl device that has a toilet bowl main body and a toilet bowl washing tank fixed to the upper surface of the toilet bowl main body is known in the related art (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application,     Publication No. 2010-7451

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the case of a tank-type toilet bowl device having a toilet bowl washing tank storing washing water supplied to a toilet bowl main body, the toilet bowl washing tank is fixed to the upper surface on the rear portion side of the toilet bowl main body and, as such, the front setting dimension of the toilet bowl device cannot but be large. In this case, a reduction in toilet bowl size leads to bowl size reduction, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of ensuring the function of the toilet bowl device.

Accordingly, in the related art, the front setting dimension of the tank-type toilet bowl device cannot be reduced with ease and problems arise in installing the tank-type toilet bowl device in a narrow space.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet bowl device that has a toilet bowl washing tank and yet can be reduced in front setting dimension.

(1) A toilet bowl device according to the present invention is a toilet bowl device (such as a toilet bowl device 1 to be described later) including a toilet bowl main body (such as a toilet bowl main body 21 to be described later), a toilet bowl washing tank (such as a toilet bowl washing tank 4 to be described later) disposed on an upper surface (such as an upper surface 21 a to be described later) of the toilet bowl main body, and a tank cover (such as a tank cover 5 to be described later) covering the toilet bowl washing tank. A tank volume of the toilet bowl washing tank is 3 L or more. A relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied when a horizontal distance from a foremost end (such as a foremost end P1 to be described later) of the toilet bowl main body to a rearmost end (such as a rearmost end P3 to be described later) of the tank cover is Da and a horizontal distance from a foremost end (such as a foremost end P2 to be described later) of the tank cover to the rearmost end of the tank cover is Db.

(2) In the toilet bowl device according to (1), it is preferable that a front surface and a rear surface of the tank cover are disposed perpendicularly to an installation surface (such as a floor surface f1 to be described later) of the toilet bowl main body.

(3) In the toilet bowl device according to (1) or (2), it is preferable that Da:W:H is 10:5.4:5.7 when a width of the tank cover is W and a height of the tank cover is H.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toilet bowl device that has a toilet bowl washing tank and yet can be reduced in front setting dimension.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a toilet bowl device describing the dimensions of the toilet bowl device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a toilet bowl device describing the dimensions of the existing toilet bowl device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the toilet bowl device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the inner portion of a toilet bowl washing tank in the toilet bowl device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view in which a part of the toilet bowl washing tank in the toilet bowl device according to the present invention is viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating a tank main body in the toilet bowl device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view in which a part of the toilet bowl washing tank in the toilet bowl device according to the present invention is viewed from the front side with the exception of a tank cover.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the main part of the lower structure of the toilet bowl washing tank in the toilet bowl device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a toilet bowl device 1 illustrated in the present embodiment illustrates a floor-standing toilet bowl device in which a toilet bowl 2 is installed on a floor surface f1. In the following description, the front-rear direction as viewed from a user sitting on the toilet bowl 2 will be referred to as the front-rear direction. In addition, the left-right direction as viewed from the user sitting on the toilet bowl 2 will be referred to as the width direction. Further, the up-down direction along the vertical direction with respect to the floor surface f1 on which the toilet bowl 2 is installed will be referred to as the up-down direction.

The toilet bowl device 1 is provided with a toilet bowl washing tank 4, which stores the washing water that is supplied to a toilet bowl main body 21, on an upper surface 21 a on the rear portion side of the toilet bowl main body 21. The toilet bowl washing tank 4 has a tank volume capable of storing at least three liters (3 L) of washing water. The toilet bowl washing tank 4 is covered by a tank cover 5. A front surface 50 a and a rear surface 50 b of the tank cover 5 are disposed perpendicularly to the floor surface f1 in side view. The position of the rear surface 50 b of the tank cover 5 is the same as the position of the rearmost end of the toilet bowl main body 21 or is disposed behind the position of the rearmost end of the toilet bowl main body 21.

In this toilet bowl device 1, the relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied when the horizontal distance (front setting dimension) from a foremost end P1 of the toilet bowl main body 21 to a rearmost end P3 of the tank cover 5 is Da and the horizontal distance (maximum depth dimension) from a foremost end P2 of the tank cover 5 to the rearmost end P3 of the tank cover 5 is Db.

The toilet bowl device 1 satisfying this relationship can be smaller in front setting dimension (horizontal distance Da) than an existing toilet bowl device even in a case where the size of a toilet bowl 21 b of the toilet bowl main body 21 is the same as the size of an existing toilet bowl. In a case where the size of the toilet bowl is, for example, 460 mm in the toilet bowl device 1 according to the present invention, the horizontal distance Da (front setting dimension of the toilet bowl device 1) can be reduced to approximately 675 mm with a tank volume of 3 L ensured by the horizontal distance Db (maximum depth dimension of the toilet bowl washing tank 4) being approximately 130 mm.

A decrease in the thickness of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 based on a decrease in the depth dimension of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 is necessary for the front setting dimension of the toilet bowl device 1 to be reduced without a change in the size of the toilet bowl 21 b of the toilet bowl main body 21 as described above. In this regard, an embodiment of the toilet bowl device 1 having the thickness-reduced toilet bowl washing tank 4 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the toilet bowl device 1 is provided with the toilet bowl 2 and a toilet bowl washing device 3. The toilet bowl 2 is installed on the floor surface f1, which is close to a standing wall surface f2. The toilet bowl 2 has a toilet seat 22 and a toilet lid 23 pivotably attached to the upper portion of the toilet bowl main body 21 and a functional portion 24 of a toilet seat device disposed behind the toilet seat 22 and the toilet lid 23. Side covers 211 are respectively and detachably attached to both side surfaces of the rear portion of the toilet bowl main body 21 by means of a hook-and-loop fastener or the like. The rear portion of the toilet bowl main body 21 is shielded as a result.

The toilet bowl washing device 3 is disposed behind the toilet bowl main body 21. The toilet bowl washing device 3 is configured to include the toilet bowl washing tank 4 and the tank cover 5, which is the outer body of the toilet bowl washing tank 4. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the toilet bowl washing tank 4 is provided with a tank main body 41, an inner lid 42, a base plate 43, a dew-proof material 44, and a reinforcing frame 45.

The tank main body 41 is made of a blow-molded article. An upper surface opening portion 411 (see FIG. 3) of the blow-molded tank main body 41 is formed by the upper portion of the blow-molded article being cut in a substantially horizontal direction. The blow-molded article can be molded by being mold-released in the front-rear direction and a draft for mold release does not need to be provided in the up-down direction as in the case of an injection-molded article. The outer peripheral surface of the tank main body 41 is a surface that is straight along the up-down direction as illustrated in FIG. 6 and is capable of constituting a side wall surface extending perpendicularly to the floor surface. Accordingly, the tank main body 41 has a small decrease in tank volume attributable to a draft and a large tank volume can be ensured as compared with an injection-molded article even after thickness reduction based on depth dimension reduction. As a result, the toilet bowl device 1 provided with the toilet bowl washing tank 4 having the tank main body 41 can be reduced in dimension in the front-rear direction (can be reduced in front setting dimension).

Washing water is stored in the tank main body 41, which accommodates internal components for toilet bowl washing as illustrated in FIG. 3. Specifically, the tank main body 41 accommodates, for example, a ball tap 4 a performing water supply, a float 4 b for performing the water stop of the ball tap 4 a, an overflow pipe 4 c for limiting the water level of washing water and supplying makeup water to the toilet bowl main body 21, a flapper valve 4 d opening and closing a drainage port, a ball chain 4 e pulling up the flapper valve 4 d, and a pull-up arm 4 f for pulling up the ball chain 4 e. A spindle 4 h of a lever handle 4 g attached to the outside of the tank cover 5 is connected to the pull-up arm 4 f

The inner lid 42 is provided so as to cover the upper surface opening portion 411 of the tank main body 41. An inner lid main body 421 and an inspection lid 422 constitute the inner lid 42. The inner lid main body 421 is mounted along the entire circumference of the upper surface opening portion 411 and screwed to the tank main body 41. The inspection lid 422 is not screwed to the tank main body 41, and the inspection lid 422 is detachably attached to the inner lid main body 421. Accordingly, the inner lid 42 is accessible to the inner portion of the tank main body 41 without removal of the screwed inner lid main body 421 by removal of the inspection lid 422 from the inner lid main body 421.

The base plate 43 is attached to the lower portion of the tank main body 41. A resin that is harder than the tank main body 41 forms the base plate 43 illustrated in the present embodiment, and the base plate 43 has a planar shape substantially identical to the bottom surface shape of the tank main body 41. The base plate 43 supports the lower surface of the tank main body 41 and is fixed to the upper surface 21 a on the rear portion side of the toilet bowl main body 21 by a pair of tightening bolts 431 (see FIG. 5,6), which protrude from the bottom portion of the base plate 43. As a result, the base plate 43 has a function of fixing the tank main body 41 to the toilet bowl main body 21.

The attachment structure of the tank main body 41 and the base plate 43 is illustrated in FIG. 7. A circular lower surface opening portion 413 is formed in a bottom surface 412 of the tank main body 41. A substantially cylindrical valve seat 46 is attached to the lower surface opening portion 413. The valve seat 46 is a component that constitutes a valve seat of the flapper valve 4 d (not illustrated in FIG. 7), which is one of the internal components of the tank main body 41, and has a flange portion 461 larger in diameter than the lower surface opening portion 413. The valve seat 46 is mounted from the inside of the tank main body 41 with a packing 46 a sandwiched between the flange portion 461 and the tank main body 41.

The valve seat 46 integrally has a cylinder portion 462 below the flange portion 461, the cylinder portion 462 has a male screw on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder portion 462, and the cylinder portion 462 protrudes downward from the lower surface opening portion 413. The valve seat 46 is attached to the tank main body 41 by a tightening nut 46 b being screwed from the outside of the tank main body 41 to the cylinder portion 462 protruding from the lower surface opening portion 413.

A circular opening portion 432 is provided in the middle portion of the base plate 43, and the cylinder portion 462 of the valve seat 46 protruding from the lower surface of the tank main body 41 is inserted through the opening portion 432. The base plate 43 is clamped between a tightening nut 46 c and the tank main body 41 by the tightening nut 46 c being screwed to the cylinder portion 462 protruding downward from the opening portion 432. As a result, the base plate 43 is fixed to the lower portion of the tank main body 41.

The base plate 43 fixed to the tank main body 41 is fixed by insertion of the pair of tightening bolts 431 protruding from the lower surface into the tank mounting hole (not illustrated) that is provided in the toilet bowl main body 21. As a result, the tank main body 41 is fixed to the toilet bowl main body 21 via the base plate 43. The cylinder portion 462 of the tank main body 41 fixed to the toilet bowl main body 21 communicates with the washing water inlet (not illustrated) of the toilet bowl main body 21, and the washing water in the tank main body 41 can be supplied to the toilet bowl main body 21.

The dew-proof material 44 is molded of a styrofoam resin or the like in a shape conforming to the outer peripheral surface of the tank main body 41. The dew-proof material 44 illustrated in the present embodiment is divided into two, one being a front side dew-proof material 441 and the other being a rear side dew-proof material 442, and is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the tank main body 41 such that the tank main body 41 is sandwiched from the front-rear direction. The dew-proof material 44 has a height that corresponds at least to the water level of the washing water stored in the tank main body 41.

The dew-proof material 44 is divided into two in the front-rear direction, one being the front side dew-proof material 441 and the other being the rear side dew-proof material 442, and thus a draft for releasing from a mold is provided in the front-rear direction and no draft is provided in the up-down direction. As a result, the dew-proof material 44, which is configured by the front side dew-proof material 441 and the rear side dew-proof material 442 being combined with each other, is capable of forming a surface vertically extending along the up-down direction on the front surface side and the rear surface side of the toilet bowl washing tank 4. As a result, a reduction in the thickness of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 does not lead to a decrease in the tank volume of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 attributable to the draft of the dew-proof material 44. In addition, it is possible to achieve further thickness reduction for the toilet bowl washing tank 4 in conjunction with the tank main body 41 illustrated in the present embodiment being provided with no draft in the up-down direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the reinforcing frame 45 illustrated in the present embodiment has metallic side surface frame members 451 disposed on both side surfaces of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 and a metallic reinforcing stay 452 disposed on the front surface side of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 so as to extend in the width direction. The toilet seat 22 and the toilet lid 23 on the toilet bowl main body 21, the functional portion 24 of the toilet seat device, and the tank cover 5 are not illustrated in FIG. 5, in which the toilet bowl main body 21 is indicated by a broken line.

The side surface frame members 451 are respectively fixed by fixing screws 45 a to both width-direction end surfaces 43 a of the base plate 43 (see FIG. 5). The side surface frame member 451 is disposed so as to cover the side surface of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 that ranges from the base plate 43 to approximately half of the tank main body 41 in height. The side surface frame member 451 is U-shaped in plan view. By being attached to the base plate 43, the side surface frame member 451 pinches the dew-proof material 44 from the front-rear direction with the dew-proof material 44 divided into two such that the front side dew-proof material 441 and the rear side dew-proof material 442 are not opened forward and rearward.

Both end portions of the reinforcing stay 452 are fixed to the left and right side surface frame members 451 by fixing screws 45 b, respectively. As a result, the left and right side surface frame members 451 are interconnected by the reinforcing stay 452 and the side surface frame members 451 are prevented from spreading in the left-right direction due to, for example, the spring back generated in the side surface frame members 451.

When a user leans on the tank cover 5, the reinforcing frame 45 functions so as to receive the load and such that the load does not act directly on the tank main body 41. The load that acts on the reinforcing stay 452 is transmitted to each side surface frame member 451 from both end portions of the reinforcing stay 452. The side surface frame member 451 is fixed to the base plate 43, which is more robust than the tank main body 41, and thus the side surface frame member 451 is capable of effectively receiving the load transmitted from the reinforcing stay 452 and releasing the load to the toilet bowl main body 21 via the base plate 43.

The dew-proof material 44, which is divided in the front-rear direction, is provided with a draft in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the front surface of the front side dew-proof material 441 is capable of having a recess 44 a accommodating the reinforcing stay 452 of the reinforcing frame 45 and a recess 44 b accommodating the side surface frame member 451 as illustrated in FIG. 5. The amount of forward protrusion of the reinforcing frame 45 can be reduced by the recesses 44 a and 44 b. As a result, even with the reinforcing frame 45 provided, the thickness of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 can be reduced without a decrease in the tank volume of the tank main body 41.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, the tank cover 5 has a front cover 51 covering the front of the toilet bowl washing tank 4, a rear cover 52 covering the side and the rear of the toilet bowl washing tank 4, and an upper cover 53 covering the upper part of the toilet bowl washing tank 4. The outer peripheral surface of the tank main body 41 of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 is a surface perpendicular to the floor surface f1 and extends straight in the up-down direction as illustrated in FIG. 6, and thus the front surface 50 a and the rear surface 50 b of the tank cover 5 can be disposed perpendicularly to the floor surface f1 along the front and rear surfaces of the tank main body 41. Accordingly, the foremost end P2 of the tank cover 5 illustrated in FIG. 1 coincides with the position of the front surface 50 a of the tank cover 5 and the rearmost end P3 of the tank cover 5 coincides with the position of the rear surface 50 b of the tank cover 5. As a result, the tank cover 5 is capable of being as close as possible to the depth dimension-reduced toilet bowl washing tank 4, and thus the maximum depth dimension Db of the tank cover 5 (see FIG. 1) is also reduced.

The front cover 51 is disposed above the toilet bowl main body 21 and between the toilet bowl washing tank 4 and the functional portion 24 of the toilet seat device on the toilet bowl main body 21. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a rear end surface 241 of the functional portion 24 on the toilet bowl main body 21 is curved in the width direction so as to be concave forward. The front cover 51 is curved in the width direction so as to be convex forward and match the curved surface of the rear end surface 241 of the functional portion 24. Accordingly, the tank volume of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 can be ensured by the forward curvature as compared with a case where the front cover 51 is a flat surface. The foremost end P2 of the tank cover 5 illustrated in FIG. 1 is the part where the front cover 51 protrudes most forward.

The rear cover 52 has a height that is substantially the same as the height of the toilet bowl washing tank 4. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the rear cover 52 is screwed by fixing screws 52 a to the side surface frame members 451, which are respectively provided on both sides of the toilet bowl washing tank 4. The front cover 51 and the upper cover 53 are provided so as to be removable with respect to the rear cover 52. As a result, the entire toilet bowl washing tank 4 is shielded by the tank cover 5, and thus improvements are achieved in terms of appearance and design.

The lower part of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 and the rear part of the toilet bowl 2 are covered by a pair of left and right lower covers 54 assembled in an L-shape as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. As a result, the piping components (not illustrated) and the like that are disposed behind the toilet bowl 2 are hidden and the rear side of the toilet bowl 2 is unified into the thin and substantially rectangular shape that extends downward from the toilet bowl washing device 3. As a result, the design is further improved.

The front cover 51 of the tank cover 5 is detachably attached to the rear cover 52 by a screw, a magnet, a hook-and-loop fastener, or the like. Accordingly, during maintenance of the toilet bowl washing tank 4, it is possible to easily access the toilet bowl washing tank 4 by removing the front cover 51 from the rear cover 52. At this time, it is not necessary to remove the toilet bowl washing tank 4 from the toilet bowl main body 21, and thus the maintenance work can be performed with ease.

The front cover 51 illustrated in the present embodiment can be removed upward with respect to the rear cover 52. As a result, it is possible to remove the front cover 51 and access the toilet bowl washing tank 4 with the toilet seat 22, the toilet lid 23, and the functional portion 24 of the toilet seat device, which are disposed in front of the lower portion of the tank cover 5, attached to the toilet bowl main body 21, and thus the maintainability of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 can be further improved.

When the width of the tank cover 5 is W and the height of the tank cover 5 is H, it is preferable that the relationship with the front setting dimension (horizontal distance Da) of the toilet bowl device 1 is Da:W:H=10:5.4:5.7. The height of the tank cover 5 exceeds the width of the tank cover 5 and, as such, the height of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 can be increased. As a result, it is possible to ensure the tank volume, by increasing the height of the toilet bowl washing tank 4, even after the toilet bowl washing tank 4 is reduced in cross-sectional area as a result of thickness reduction. In addition, an increase in the height of the toilet bowl washing tank 4 results in an increase in water head pressure, and thus the force of the washing water increases.

The width W is the dimension of the part of the tank cover 5 that projects most in the left-right direction. In the tank cover 5 illustrated in the present embodiment, the front cover 51 is wider than the rear cover 52, and thus the width W of the tank cover 5 is the width of the front cover 51 (see FIG. 4). The height H is the dimension from the upper surface 21 a of the toilet bowl main body 21 to which the toilet bowl washing tank 4 is fixed to the part of the tank cover 5 that projects most upward. In the tank cover 5 illustrated in the present embodiment, the front cover 51 projects above the rear cover 52 and the upper cover 53, and thus the height H of the tank cover 5 is the dimension of the front cover 51 in the up-down direction (see FIG. 4).

In the toilet bowl device 1, the toilet bowl washing tank 4 has a side wall surface perpendicular to the up-down direction, and thus the maximum depth dimension Db of the tank cover 5 can be easily reduced with a tank volume of at least three liters (3 L) ensured and the relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied with ease.

In the toilet bowl device 1 illustrated in the embodiment, the toilet bowl washing tank 4 has a structure without a draft in the up-down direction. In a toilet bowl device 1A illustrated in FIG. 8, a toilet bowl washing tank 4A has a draft in the up-down direction. With the toilet bowl device 1A, the relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied with a tank volume of at least three liters (3 L) ensured for the toilet bowl washing tank 4A even in the case of a structure increasing in thickness upward from below, and thus the front setting dimension Da of the toilet bowl device 1A can be reduced.

In this case, however, the front surface 50 a and the rear surface 50 b of a tank cover 5A are inclined in the up-down direction as the toilet bowl washing tank 4A has the draft in the up-down direction. Accordingly, it is somewhat more difficult than in the case of the toilet bowl device 1 to reduce the maximum depth dimension Db of the tank cover 5 while ensuring a tank volume of at least three liters (3 L) for the toilet bowl washing tank 4 and without changing the size of the toilet bowl 21 b.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   1 TOILET BOWL DEVICE     -   21 TOILET BOWL MAIN BODY     -   21 a UPPER SURFACE (OF TOILET BOWL MAIN BODY)     -   4 TOILET BOWL WASHING TANK     -   41 TANK MAIN BODY     -   5 TANK COVER     -   50 a FRONT SURFACE (OF TANK COVER)     -   50 b REAR SURFACE (OF TANK COVER)     -   f1 FLOOR SURFACE 

1. A toilet bowl device comprising: a toilet bowl main body; a toilet bowl washing tank disposed on an upper surface of the toilet bowl main body; and a tank cover covering the toilet bowl washing tank, wherein a tank volume of the toilet bowl washing tank is 3 L or more, and a relationship of Db≤Da/5 is satisfied when a horizontal distance from a foremost end of the toilet bowl main body to a rearmost end of the tank cover is Da and a horizontal distance from a foremost end of the tank cover to the rearmost end of the tank cover is Db.
 2. The toilet bowl device of claim 1, wherein a front surface and a rear surface of the tank cover are disposed perpendicularly to an installation surface of the toilet bowl main body.
 3. The toilet bowl device of claim 1, wherein Da:W:H is 10:5.4:5.7 when a width of the tank cover is W and a height of the tank cover is H. 